Chapter 3. The Making Of The Guardian Magi (GMs)
The plight of the Elves during this time had not gone unnoticed by Teva. She had sealed Legel away, but even with the power she had managed to find in her fight against him, she didn’t posses enough strength to make the Seal perfect. Legel, Teva knew, would still be able to exert an influence in the world of Isya. With the new gods roaming the world, each with their own desires and a rooted longing to free Legel, Teva saw that the trials that she and the people of this world faced were far from over. She did acknowledge, however, that some of these trials would be good for the people of Isya. She had discovered early on that the enlightened people of Isya needed hardship around them as a catalyst to bring forth their innate good. Without trials, without pain or loss, there could be no hope, no reason for kindness or self-sacrifice. Furthermore, without chaos the world and the people on it would grow stagnant; nothing would ever change for good or for ill. The destruction and chaos that was being unleashed, however, was too much. The intense rush of derangement threatened to destroy the delicate balance of nature, and with it, Isya as a whole. With the loss of Bijou, and the rest of the gods eagerly seeking her death, Teva assumed a mortal form to hide from the god’s merciless eyes. The goddess was not going to allow the influence of Legel or the machinations of the other gods to go unchecked. She was a being of near infinite power and it was difficult for her to understand the Human or Elven mind. She needed to find creatures who possessed an understanding of this mindset, who could inspire those around them, and could help maintain the delicate balance in the world. So the goddess created the Guardian Magi or GMs, as they were often called. Teva selected the bravest, strongest, and best amongst the Human and Elven races. She imbued them with a fragment of her power as well as a Soul Stone to make them more than mere mortals. Then she charged them with 4 distinct duties: 1. Ensure the forces of chaos do not grow too powerful, and if necessary intervene to prevent such an occurrence. If the forces of chaos’ power becomes too great, the Seal may become weakened and unleash Legel once more. ' '''2. Test the people of Isya, so that they may grow stronger. Inspire them to become greater than they ever knew possible. ' '''3. Aid the enlightened races only if they are performing some great service for Isya. In all other circumstances only offer aid to ensure their continued existence and that their hope remains kindled. 4.Protect and serve Goddess of Hope’s mortal incarnation. This task completed, Teva sent her first two Guardians to the Elf City to reinforce them. They almost didn’t make it in time. The Elves had been holding the wall for several days and nights. They endured endless waves of monsters and curses thrown down by the gods. By the time the Guardians arrived, the monsters had just breached the Elven defenses, and the battle was quickly turning into a rout. When the Guardians appeared, the horde didn’t even slow their advance. All their menacing eyes could see were two more victims, two more obstacles to their master’s wishes. The monster army crashed into the Guardians. The Guardians crashed right back. It was as though the advancing horde had hit another wall. The front of the enemy line was quickly punched through and decimated. Before the army knew what was happening the Magi were in their midst striking with weapons and blasting with spells. As the monsters attempted to surround the Guardians or gain any distance from them, the Magi simply vanished and reappeared within their midst. No blade, claw, or fang seemed capable of harming the Magi. The chaos and confusion caused by the Guardians was more devastating than the number of monsters they had slaughtered. The effect on the Elves was even greater. Seeing as help had arrived, the Elves struck back hard. They hit the enemy’s rear and flanks, seizing the opportunity for distraction by this new threat. What was almost the end of the Elven nation became a day of hope and revitalization. After the battle, the Guardian Magi sealed the breaches in the wall, and began to move amongst the injured and the dead, healing and blessing all those who fought. The Guardians then approached Elderine and introduced themselves as Banen and Sayel. They informed Elderine that they had been sent by Teva to aid the Elves in this dark time. The gods’ anger knew no bounds. The Elven leader had proven herself to be a formidable and frustrating enemy on her own , and her brother’s skill in the magical arts had proven to be the saving grace of Elderine’s little band many times. Still, the gods had been on the verge of eliminating the Elves once and for all. They sought to gain a substantial amount of Bijou’s essence in the process. Now they had been foiled by these servants of Teva, these Guardian Magi, whom had shown up and stopped their army on the verge of victory. Markis and Nik lashed out in all directions. Great expanses of forest were destroyed, rivers turned to ash. Even their own forces were not spared their gods’ wrath. Apoline and Pagel also raged, but in a more insidious way. They did not lash out; they plotted and schemed. Meanwhile, Anis who had become well-schooled in the arts of combat and war during his battles, and now took command as the general of the monster army, showed no anger regarding the turn of events. After their raging, the gods came together to contemplate their situation. With the appearance of these strange warriors they were going to have to change their strategy. A frontal assault was out. Having the Guardians at the helm of the Elf forces would surely result in eradication of any assault. The gods understood they couldn’t risk unleashing their full power, as that would likely destroy the Soul Stones they coveted. So the gods chose to employ their most lethal power: cunning. Apoline and Pagel were experts and they already knew the perfect target for their "gentle" attentions - Elderine’s younger brother, Epith.